


The Canto Bight Couples Resort

by duchessofthemoonbase



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Damerey Week, Day Two-Favorite Tropes, F/M, Fake Dating, there's only one bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-01-13 06:22:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21239612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duchessofthemoonbase/pseuds/duchessofthemoonbase
Summary: “We’ll be fine,” Poe said, smiling confidently. “You’ve sent me on undercover stuff before. And we both know there’s nothing Rey can’t handle.”“Very well,” Leia said. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally for Day Two (FAVORITE TROPES!) of Damerey week but I didn’t have time to finish it—if you Discord folks remember this is the one that I outlined in my head while I was getting cavities filled!

“It’s fine,” Rey and Poe both said at the same time.

“Are you sure?” The General asked. “You both answered a little too quickly. You’re allowed to have some time to think about it.”

Rey scoffed. “Of course. It’s not even that dangerous of a mission.”

Leia sighed. “I know, but the um…the cover you’ll be taking could be delicate…in some ways. Do you two know what I mean?”

“We’ll be fine,” Poe said, smiling confidently. “You’ve sent me on undercover stuff before. And we both know there’s nothing Rey can’t handle.”

“Very well,” Leia said. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

***

“This is your fault, you know,” Rey said, twisting a bolt into place on the falcon. “If you and Rose hadn’t made such a fuss about hating Canto Bight, Leia would have sent you instead. You’re already a couple anyway, and have more espionage experience too.”

“I don’t know,” Finn said, smiling into his cup of caf. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Leia did this on purpose.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would she do that?”

“Really? You have to ask?”

Rey froze and put her wrench down. “She wouldn’t…she has better things to worry about.”

“Nah,” Finn said. “It’s been a year of this since you two met each other after Crait, and well…I’m sure the gossip’s reached her by now.”

“Gossip? What gossip?”

“Aw, come on Rey, you really think people haven’t noticed how weird you and Poe act around each other? The sexual tension will kill us all before the First Order does,” Finn joked.

Rey groaned, her face flushing. “There’s…there’s not—”

Finn raised his eyebrow. “I know you better than anyone, Jedi….But what are you so afraid of?”

Rey sat back down and stared up at the ceiling.

She really wasn’t sure.

***

Snap nearly dropped his helmet after Poe told him.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Say that again?”

Poe sighed and started over. “Rey and I have to pretend to be a rich married couple and stay overnight at the Canto Bight couples resort. We’re supposed to be mingling with the people there to try and see if there’s anyone who might be willing to use their funds to support the Resistance.”

Snap would not stop laughing. “A _couples resort? _I’m sorry, _Leia_ assigned this?”

Poe grimaced. “Yes. And don’t make that face, Rey and I are just—”

Snap was still laughing. “Okay, sure.” He hit Poe affectionately on the shoulder and practically giggled as he walked away. “Buddy, if Leia Organa can’t fix your blue balls, no one will.”

Poe rolled his eyes as he watched Snap leave. _Rey and I are just friends. Rey and I are just friends. Rey and I are just friends._

That was the way it was going to have to be. At least until the war was over. Then, who knew. But Poe knew what a powerful love could do to a person—how it could build someone up and then knock them down just as fast. He had seen his father in those years after his mother passed; a ghost of himself, walking around the farm sobbing silently in the dark.

The Resistance was small, and they needed him—and needed him at his best. If something happened to Rey, he would be lost. Everything he had worked for, the hope for the future that his parents had trusted him with, would be gone.

And so he buried it, deep down—the light of Rey’s smile and the daydreams about bringing her home to Yavin. For the cause, for the chance for people across the galaxy to feel that kind of love, he had to bury his own.

But sometimes, he felt the chill of a cold ring hanging against his chest, and he remembered.

***

Rey had heard rumors that Poe had posed for a Resistance poster once, but she never believed it more than when she saw him leaning against the side of the Falcon, grinning with a pile of bags stacked next to him.

“Ready?” Poe asked. “These are all the fancy clothes Leia packed for us—Maker knows where she got them, but they should fit.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

“So, uh,” Rey said. “Should we get going?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’ll um…I’ll carry the bags onboard,” Poe said, beginning to pick them up.

“Such a considerate husband,” Rey joked, and she saw Poe blush furiously.

“Not until Canto Bight,” he said, shrugging, and pointed at the other bags. “You can take those.”

Rey pretended to look appalled as she carried the rest of the bags up. “For that,” she said. “I would like the pilot’s seat on the way there, thank you. You can fly on the way back.”

Poe shrugged. “As you wish.” He pulled out a datapad and began to flip through it as Rey took off. “We need to go over our aliases before we land. We have to memorize everything in case we need it. People won’t know us and will want to know who we are.”

“Alright,” Rey said. “I’m listening.”

Poe cleared his throat. “My name is Oliver Isolder. I’m thirty-two years old and an arms dealer. I live on Coruscant with my beautiful wife of five years…”

“…Cora Isolder!” Rey answered. “I’m a Coruscant socialite whose main interest is…designing shoes?”

“Designing hats, but close.”

Rey groaned and sunk further into the pilot’s seat. “How is anyone supposed to believe we’re Coruscant socialites?”

“We just have to lay low. Hopefully these people are so wrapped up in themselves that they won’t even notice us.”

“Okay. What else is in the file?”

“That’s about it,” Poe said. “But we can make up more backstory.”

“Okay,” Rey said. “How did we meet? I mean…Oliver and Cora, how did they meet?”

“Hmmm…” Poe said. “Let’s think of something romantic.”

“It would be better if we thought of something believable. You know…something that sounds like how people really fall in love.”

Poe laced his hands together and smiled. “Okay,” he said. “So Oliver is out and about…you know, dealing arms with all his…” Poe waved his arms around and laughed. “Arms dealing friends. And they all keep talking about this girl. He’s never met her, but he can barely go an hour without hearing about how great she is. How she designs all these fancy hats.”

“I said believable, Poe!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault these people are ridiculous,” he said. “Anyway, then one day Oliver _really_ needs a hat. He’s got a big meeting on Coruscant and needs the _perfect_ hat. And so he’s at the hat store, where he sees Cora moving these _massive _piles of hats to find the right one for him. And then he suddenly knows everything his friends said about her was true.”

“You really want us to tell people this story?”

“It’s a _thought exercise.”_

“No one falls in love because they see someone move some hats around.”

“You know what,” Poe says, shaking his head and laughing to himself. “Never mind. We’ll uh…we’ll say it was an arranged marriage.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Okay,” Poe said. “I’ll go over our schedule. It’s just three events and then we go to bed, wake up in the morning, and head back to the base.”

“Sounds simple enough.”

“There’s dancing, a dinner with some other couples, and then a spa treatment.”

“Oh,” Rey said, biting her lip nervously.

“Is that okay?” Poe asked, sensing her concern.

“Yeah,” Rey said, and laughed it off. “It’s just new for me. I went right from Jakku to the Resistance. I don’t want to blow our cover when I don’t know how to hold my fork.”

“You’ll be fine,” Poe said, and reached over to squeeze her hand. “Just follow my lead and you’ll be alright. I’ll take care of you.”

“Thanks, Poe,” Rey said, and they share a smile that makes her believe he will.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ballroom dancing and fancy dinners and luxury spas...oh my. :)

Poe had known he was in trouble before, but now he knew for certain—he was absolutely doomed.

Rey was standing in front of him in a sleek emerald ball gown—the color of the leaves on Yavin after a summer storm. The dress shimmered as she moved towards him, teetering in a pair of silver high heels. The gown made a tight outline of her body and showed nearly the entirety of her upper back, and Poe had to struggle to keep his eyes glued to her face.

“Um,” Poe said, all understanding of any language far beyond him now. Her hair was up in one bun instead of three, and a pearl necklace glimmered near her collarbone.

“Um yourself,” Rey said, smiling at him. Poe was in a black tux that despite being borrowed, was tailored to him perfectly.

“No but uh,” Poe said. “You look—”

Rey screeched, suddenly tumbling forward, and Poe caught her in his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked, and Rey blushed at the contact.

“Yeah,” Rey said. “It’s just these shoes will take some getting used to, that’s all.”

“Maybe you could use the force.”

“Don’t think I haven’t tried.”

Poe laughed as Rey walked a couple of practice loops around the outside of the ship, gradually gaining balance. The resort was just through some trees, and Poe’s heart raced at the thought of what would change between them when they crossed to the other side.

“So,” Poe said, taking Rey’s arm as he led her through the trees in the dark. “Perhaps we should set some boundaries. About things. When we’re pretending, you know.”

“Yeah,” Rey said. “Sure.”

“So is there…” Poe asked, stumbling over his words. “Anything you like…don’t want me to do?”

Rey smiled to herself in the dark. _You can do anything you like, flyboy. _“Not particularly, no. Do whatever you need to do.”

“Because I mean, we could even pretend we’re in a fight, or something, we don’t even have to—”

Rey grimaced. _Is he that repulsed by the idea of touching me?._ “Really, Poe, it’s fine. Are you uncomfortable with anything?”

“No.”

“Okay then.”

Light peeked out through the other side of the trees and the resort came into view. It was practically a castle, and was covered in all sorts of stained glass awash with pink and orange light. Roses were planted in every corner, and all sorts of indecently-dressed statues covered the grounds. It was massive, resplendent, and terrifying.

Rey gripped Poe’s arm tighter. “Are you ready?” she asked.

“After you, Mrs. Isolder.”

They walked down a quiet stone walkway to the main entrance. The dark rose garden was romantic and peaceful, until of course the gaudiness of Canto Bight decided to rear its ugly head.

A huge holographic advertisement appeared in front of them, nearly blinding them with light as a voice boomed out of the speakers.

_WELCOME TO THE CANTO BIGHT COUPLE’S RESORT. THE GALAXY’S TOP DESTINATION FOR ROMANCE. CONNECT INTIMATELY WITH YOUR PARTNER AS YOU ENJOY OUR EVENTS, RESTAURANTS, SPA FACILITIES, AND BEDROOMS DESIGNED FOR YOUR PLE—_

“So sorry about that,” came a voice in front of them as the ad suddenly switched off. It was a small man with blue skin holding a clipboard. “Could I have your names please?”

Rey froze, and then beamed as she felt Poe reach down to hold her hand. “My name is Oliver Isolder, and this is my wife, Cora. We have reservations for the event this evening.”

“Very well,” the man said, “Please follow me.”

Rey felt herself glowing from the inside out. Something about feeling the warmth of Poe’s hand caressing her own, while he called her his wife, real or not, thrilled her in a way she couldn’t explain.

“The ballroom is just through here, Mr. Isolder,” the man said to Poe, pointing to a large pair of double doors. “There’s dancing for an hour, and then you’ll go to dinner.”

“Thank you,” Poe said, giving Rey a big smile. “My wife is extremely fond of dancing.”

The little man looked up at them and smiled. “Newlyweds, are you?”

“No,” Poe said. “She just never stops dazzling me.”

Rey burst out laughing as they went through the doors. “You are having _way_ too much fun with this, Commander Dameron.”

Poe smiled, and then sighed to himself. _Don’t get carried away with this,_ he reminded himself. _Behave._

“Oh, wow,” Rey said, shrinking back as she gazed at the ballroom. It was a huge room, as big as the hangar back on base, and filled with couples of all different species from all across the galaxy. An orchestra played on a stage that levitated in the middle of the room. Rey didn’t know where to look first—the mural on the ceiling, the man who wore a fishbowl as a hat, or the mon calamari gentleman whose skirt took up nearly a quarter of the room.

She looked at Poe. “I can’t do this,” she said, looking out at the couples. “I’ve never danced before.”

“Sure you can,” Poe said. “It’s just a waltz. Just follow my lead and move with me, okay?” As he led Rey to the center of the dance floor, he also remembered that they were here on official business, after all. “And remember to keep your ears open,” he whispered.

The music was at a stop when Poe found them an empty space in the middle of the dance floor. Rey looked around nervously, already imagining herself falling flat on her face.

“It’s probably not so different from some of your Jedi training, when you think about it,” Poe reassured her. “It’s grace and balance and movement…”

Rey looked at him dubiously, and then the orchestra began to play a slow, meandering waltz.

Poe took Rey’s hand and placed his other on her waist, jumping a little when he realized he was touching the bare skin displayed by her backless gown. “Just move with me,” he whispered. “Watch my feet.”

“Do we really have to do this for an hour?” Rey asked, panicked.

“If we want any good intel for Leia we do.”

Rey soon found that Poe was right, and that the waltzing wasn’t so bad after all—the rhythm was easy and predictable, far easier than fighting an opponent who was trying to outmaneuver you at every turn.

“Let’s move in that direction,” Rey said, directing her eyes towards two Togruta women who were whispering in a corner. “Whatever they’re talking about sounds important.”

Poe led them over, only for them to discover that the conversation was nothing more than the couple having a very detailed conversation about what they were going to order for dinner—they would have to keep trying.

They danced and danced around the ballroom, but nearly all of the conversations they could catch bits and pieces of revolved around the selfish and mundane concerns of the rich.

“Dinner will be easier,” Poe murmured in her ear. “We sit in groups with other couples, so we can steer the conversation towards the war.”

“Okay,” Rey said. She had to admit she was beginning to enjoy the dancing—the easy grace of her and Poe moving as a single unit, the glimmer of her dress under the chandelier; not to mention the constant, warm pressure of Poe’s hand on her bare back.

“I think you’re already a better dancer than I am,” Poe said, smiling down at her with soft eyes. “I’m not surprised.”

“I have a good teacher,” Rey said, and smiled up at him. She was about to dare to rest her head on his shoulder when the orchestra slowed to a stop. “That was only an hour?” Rey asked, trying her best to hide her disappointment.

“I believe so,” Poe said, getting back to business. “And now it’s time for the main event. We need to try and move the conversation towards what the current opinions of the war and the Resistance are. But not in an obvious way—we don’t want to bring attention to ourselves.”

Rey and Poe followed the other couples into another huge room, this one decorated in shades of baby blue, lavender, and gold. The tables were set for eight, with small name tags set around the outside.

“Here we are,” Poe said, pointing to a directory listing them under table nine. “Oliver and Cora Isolder.” Rey smiled at him as he took her hand and led them to a table near the back. Poe pulled out her chair for her as she took her seat at the table, a waiter immediately pouring her a glass of something fizzy that changed from pink to purple and back again.

Three other couples soon joined them at their table—a humanoid man and woman in matching silver outfits sitting to their right, two Bothan men to their left, and two Twi’leks sitting directly across from them, the man’s arm draped around the woman possessively.

Rey took a sip from her drink and began to feel her anxiety kick in—the fear that she’d bring down the entire Resistance with a wrong word. The woman in silver seated next to her grinned at her warmly.

“How do you do?” she asked. “We haven’t seen you two around here before. The rest of us are regulars.” The Twi’leks and Bothans nodded in agreement.

“Yes,” Poe said. “It’s our first time. Hard to get away with work and everything, you know.”

“And what do you do?” The woman asked. Poe smiled warmly, following the script perfectly. “I’m Oliver Isolder,” he said, shaking the hands of everyone at the table. “And this is my wife, Cora. I’m in the military business.” Rey smiled, more from the absurdity of the situation than any pleasure she felt at becoming acquainted with her table-mates.

“Arms dealing,” one of the Bothans said, examining Poe. “Buisness must be good right now, eh? Fighting off those Resistance scoundrels.”

“Quite so,” Poe said, as a waiter placed some sort of unidentifiable but heavily-garnished meat onto their plates. “But we’re happy to get away to relax.” He put his arm around Rey’s shoulder affectionately, and she smiled.

“Good for you,” the male Twi’lek said, practically leering at Rey. “It’s a real pity to keep such a beautiful woman bored all day while you’re busy with work.” Poe drew Rey in closer as she grimaced at him. “I keep myself occupied,” she said, glaring at him coldly.

“Either way,” the humanoid woman said, smiling up at her husband affectionately. “You’ll find this resort does wonders for any couple. The whole place really…gets you in the mood, you know?”

Rey and Poe both froze, neither of them able to supply an adequate response, when one of the Bothans cut in.

“Have you all heard the rumors about the Resistance?” he asked. “Apparently, they’re not so scrappy as they were a year ago at the confrontation on Crait. They might actually have a shot at winning this thing.”

“Absolutely not,” the Twi’lek woman said. “They’re a bunch of riff-raff.”

“That’s just what the First Order wants us to think,” the other Bothan said. “I get the feeling they’re scared.” He looked over at Poe with concern. “If I were you, I’d make sure any of my dealings with the First Order are clean from the records in case the Resistance ends up in charge.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Poe said, taking a pyramid-shaped bun off a passing tray. “In fact, we should all make sure we’re ready in case there’s a power shift.”

Rey smiled, taking another sip of her fizzy drink. Poe knew exactly what he was doing—these Canto Bight people didn’t care so much for right or wrong as long as they came out on top, and with the most money—and he was speaking their language fluently.

“We’ve made some very strategic investments, actually,” Rey said, cuddling deeper into Poe. “Haven’t we, darling?”

“Ah, yes,” Poe said, grinning. “You see, if you help both sides, you win no matter how the war turns out. It would be wise for all of you to…diversify your investments. You see?”

The female Twi’lek scoffed. “I’m not sure I should be giving any money to the Resistance.”

Rey shook her head, trying her best to look down at her plate sadly. “I’ve heard about some of the torture methods they use on First Order sympathizers,” she said. “And trust me, it would be best for your own safety to play both sides.”

The Twi’leks looked at each other, panicked. As much as Rey hated saying the Resistance would ever torture anyone, especially as someone who had been tortured herself, it seemed to convince the others at their table that contributing their funds to the Resistance was well worth their while. And hopefully, they would tell their friends.

The conversation turned to the less-serious topic of fathier racing, and the humanoid woman in silver took Rey’s hand. “Come to the restroom with me,” she said. “I need to fix my hair.” Rey looked at Poe and shrugged, and followed the woman, whose name Rey learned was Estrella, into a room with sinks and mirrors.

“So, what’s your story?” Estrella asked, fluffing up her hair with some sort of mechanized comb. “How did you end up so lucky?”

“What?”

“Oh please,” Estrella said, rolling her eyes. “I wish my husband looked like that and had that kind of money. Oliver seems like a decent man, too.”

“Very decent,” Rey said. “He’s the best.”

“How long have you been married?”

“Five years,” Rey answered automatically.

Estrella laughed. “Five years. No kidding. I’ve only been married three years and I’d kill to have my husband look at me the way Oliver looks at you.”

“What?” Rey giggled. “Looks at me how?”

“Like he’s counting down the minutes until he gets to ravish you in one of those suites upstairs, that’s how,” Estrella said, touching up her lipstick. She looked up at Rey in surprise. “You’re blushing.”

“Oh,” Rey said, beginning to panic. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Estrella said. “You’re very lucky.”

Rey fidgeted in the mirror as she waited for Estrella to finish her makeup. _Not as lucky as you think,_ Rey thought, grimacing at herself under the fluorescent lights. Poe was clearly a really good actor, and if he was selling their fake marriage that well, then good for him.

But it wasn’t real. It didn’t matter. For one night, she would know what it was like to be with Poe Dameron, and then everything would go back to the way it was.

When she was a little girl in Jakku, there was an old storyteller woman who told a story like that sometimes, about a poor and ragged girl who was transformed into a princess for the day, but would lose everything when the sun set. She didn’t pity the girl in the story as much as she used to—after all, she was learning today just how much more things were savored when you knew you could never have them again—and most of the people here on Canto Bight would probably never understand.

She could live in this fantasy for tonight, hold his hand and dance with him, love him fearlessly, just once, but by this time tomorrow it would all be over. The spell would be broken.

Rey followed Estrella back to the table, where the conversation was still on the fathier races.

“Hey,” Poe said, smiling as Rey sat down next to him. “You should try these.” He handed her something green and crispy that tasted simultaneously salty and sweet when she bit into it.

“What is it?” she asked.

“No idea,” Poe said, taking another one and laughing.

Dessert came out next. There was a cake for the entire table to share, covered in different fruits. A small working fountain protruded from the top of it, covering the entire cake in some sort of sauce. As the rest of the table argued over what slices they were going to get, Poe leaned in to whisper in Rey’s ear.

“The Bothans,” he said. “They helped the rebellion back in the day, and I wouldn’t be surprised if these two are sympathetic to our cause. We need to get their names to Leia.”

Rey nodded in agreement as the waiter handed her a slice of cake, and she dug in. It was hard to believe that there were people who ate this kind of food every day, while others worked all day for a quarter portion of bread the way she used to on Jakku.

“Mr. and Mrs. Isolder?” said an attendant behind them when they finished eating. “It’s your turn for the spa facilities.”

“Thanks,” Poe said, taking Rey’s hand and following the attendant.

“Okay, so…stupid question,” Rey said.

“Ask away.”

“What exactly is a ‘spa’, anyway? Is it just like a really fancy fresher?”

“Kind of,” Poe said. “It’s a lot of stuff to get you extra clean and pampered and relaxed. It’s nice. And it should just be us, so we can let our guard down.”

Rey nodded, but she wasn’t so sure.

The attendant led them into two separate rooms, each containing a fresher, towels, and a bathrobe. “You can clean up in here,” he said. “Afterwards, continue on into the main room.”

Rey waved goodbye to Poe as she locked the door behind her. She exhaled as she slipped off the green gown and stepped out of her shoes, finally feeling alone and at peace for the first time all day. She winced at the strange feeling in her feet after walking around in high heels and let her hair fall down around her shoulders.

After two minutes, she finally figured out how to operate the fresher, which had an entire menu of functions on a screen in front of her. The menu then asked her what scent of soap and shampoo she would prefer, so she selected one called “forest rain” which smelled heavenly—almost as good as the real thing.

When Rey finished, she put on the fluffy white bathrobe and stepped into the pair of matching slippers—all of it inconceivably soft. She was tempted to fall asleep right there in the bathroom, but remembered that she had been instructed to go to the main room once she cleaned up.

Rey stepped through the door to find Poe waiting for her, dressed in the same bathrobe and slippers. “All ready?” Poe asked.

“Ready for what?”

“Hell if I know, I’ve never been to one of these things either,” Poe said. “But we’re supposed to press this button when we’re clean and ready.”

“You mean there’s more than that fresher?” Rey asked. “You would think people would pay just for that.”

“That’s just a typical Canto Bight fresher, I’m afraid,” Poe said, shrugging, when two humanoids, a muscular man with purple skin and pointed ears, and a woman with green skin and silver hair, entered the room.

“Couples massage for Mr. and Mrs. Isolder?” the woman asked, and Poe and Rey traded nervous looks. “Lie down here please,” she instructed, pointing to two identical platforms covered in towels.

Poe and Rey laid down on their stomachs and waited, until they heard a gentle cough from the male attendant. “Sir? Madam? We’re going to need you to remove your robes. You can put these towels around your waists.”

“Oh, um, of course,” Poe said, blushing with embarrassment as he and Rey stood up and took the towels from the attendants. They looked away from each other shyly as they undressed speedily and secured their towels.

Rey laid back down as quickly as possible, knowing that if she sat up from the table her breasts would be completely exposed. She sneaked a peek next to her and suddenly blushed at the sight of Poe smiling at her, only covered by the towel. She had never seen him without a shirt before, and _kriff,_ he looked even better than she could have imagined, all tan skin and solid muscle and scars that matched some of her own.

Poe laid down on the table and Rey watched as the female attendant hovered over him with a bottle of massage oil, squeezing some onto her hands to rub onto his shoulders. “You’re so _tense,_ Mr. Isolder,” she said, running her fingers over the muscles of his back. “Just relax, okay?”

Rey felt a twinge of jealousy as she saw the woman touch Poe, and then felt hands on her own back, working out the sore spots of her shoulders and back. “You’re tense too, miss,” the male attendant said, rubbing her back, and soon Rey forgot her troubles and let herself unwind.

Poe, however, was getting a little paranoid. He knew that he and Rey were different from the typical couples who came in here—they were both being weird about seeing each other naked, first of all, not to mention the scars and injuries that covered both of their bodies. They didn’t exactly look like types who lounged around all day living in luxury, and he was nervous that the attendants would become suspicious.

He was also trying to be a gentleman and not think about Rey, his beautiful, funny Rey, laying half-naked on the table next to him. He was worked up enough from dancing with her all evening, holding her hand, _that dress…_all he had to do was get through the rest of this—

“Ooh _yes,”_ Rey moaned from next to him. “Do that again.”

Poe’s eyes widened at the sound. _Think of anything else. Name planets, name the different plants back home on Yavin, count to one hundred, think of—_

“Oh, _maker,” _Rey groaned. “That feels so good.”

Poe’s hands tightened into fists. _Don’t think about it, don’t think about touching her, about her making those sounds, about her waking up next to you at home on the farm, don’t—_

“We’re all finished,” the female attendant said, and Poe breathed a sigh of relief. “You can head on up to your room.”

They turned away from each other again and went back to the freshers, showering the massage oil off and putting their clothes back on. They met back in the hallway ten minutes later, Rey in her gown and Poe in his tux.

“We’re done,” Poe said. “Now we just go to bed.”

“Sounds good to me,” Rey said, taking his arm with a smile.

They went up an elevator to the top floor of the building, where another attendant showed them into a room at the end of the hall.

“Wishing you a romantic night together,” the attendant said, handing them the key and walking away, and Rey did her best to hide her blush. If only, she thought. When they were alone, there would be no reason to pretend anymore.

They opened the door to find a room bathed in rich colors—crimson velvet and black silk and gold-painted furniture. A rolling tray near the bed held chocolate-covered fruits and bubbling champagne. Wrapped baskets on a side table revealed even more goodies waiting to be discovered.

“This is insane,” Rey said. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is,” Poe agreed, yawning. “And, I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted—I’m going to turn in, if that’s alright,” he said, heading towards the bathroom.

“Poe?”

He turned around. “Yeah?”

“There’s um…”

“There’s what?”

Rey blushed and pointed to the other side of the room. “There’s only one bed.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED.

“Oh,” Poe said. “I guess there is.” He looked down at the ground. “You can have it, I guess. I can sleep on the floor.”

“It’s marble,” Rey said. “That’s hardly comfortable. And I don’t mind. Really.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Rey said. “And besides, if someone happened to come in, you sleeping on the floor would look suspicious.”

“Fair point.”

Poe went back into the bathroom to get ready for bed, and Rey decided to look through the gift baskets that had been left out for them as she waited her turn. One held a box of rose petals and massage oils, and another held a pair of tiny silk pajamas that were exactly her size. Well, its not like she had anything else to change into, she thought, and so she slipped them on. The material was dark green silk with black lace around the edges—two lace straps over her shoulders and the bottom hem coming down just over the tops of her thighs.

“Oh.”

Rey turned around to see Poe staring at her with wide eyes. “Um…where did you…did you get lingerie?”

Rey bit her lip with a twinge of guilt. “It was in the baskets.”

“W-Well I um,” Poe said, turning a bit red at the ears. “I guess we should take advantage of the free stuff in the baskets.”

“I guess so.”

They found a pair of black silk pajama bottoms for Poe, which he slipped on behind her back. When Rey turned around he was sitting on the bed, tan chest bare and aglow as he unwrapped one of the chocolates that had been left on the pillows.

“Well,” Poe said. “As weird as this is in some respects, I suppose I’ve been on less comfortable missions.”

“I wouldn’t call being married to me exactly comfortable,” Rey joked, a sad smile creeping across her face.

“On the contrary, sunshine,” Poe said. “I think anyone would be lucky to be married to you.”

“Please.”

“Hey! I liked being married to you today, and I’d do it again.” Poe smiled and met her eyes for a moment too long, until Rey blushed and took another piece of fruit off the tray.

“You think we can sneak some of this stuff home with us?” Rey asked. “It’s too nice to go to waste.”

Poe stood up to examine the baskets again. “It might be suspicious if we’re caught with it on the way out. Probably shouldn’t risk it.”

“Better enjoy it now then,” Rey said, pinching a few rose petals in-between her fingers. “What are these for, anyway?”

“Well they’re um…”

“They’re…?”

“Well, I think people like to spread them on the bed. Before they’re…intimate. It’s supposed to be romantic,” Poe explained.

“Huh,” Rey said in as detached a voice as she could muster. “Interesting.”

“We could have a rose petal fight,” Poe offered with a mischievous smirk, holding an identical box of petals in his hands.

“You’re on, Dameron,” Rey said, and flicked a small bunch of petals in his face, where they barely made an impact and fluttered to the floor.

“Hey, you’re gonna pay for that!” Poe said, and Rey jumped onto the bed behind him to escape. She giggled as Poe sprinkled the entire box of petals on her head and fell back laughing.

Poe leaned over her to pick the petals out of her hair, both of them out of breath with laughter, and suddenly she was aware of just how close they were. She was spread out beneath him in her silk lingerie as his naked torso hovered over her, his head inches away from hers as he smiled and finished combing the petals out of her hair. It would only take a moment, a daring move from either of them, to change everything completely.

“We should finish the food and go to sleep,” Rey said, more out of decorum than any desire to leave the position they were in. “It’s been a long day.”

“Yeah,” Poe said as he sat up, and she felt his eyes travel down her body as she reached over for the tray of chocolate covered fruit. “A long day.”

Five minutes later the tray was empty, and Rey reached over to turn out the light. “Goodnight, Oliver Isolder,” she said.

“Goodnight, my darling Cora,” Poe whispered back, and even in the dark, she could hear the smile lighting up his face.

***

Half an hour later, Rey was lying awake in the dark.

Poe was a comfortable two feet away from her, but she still felt like she could feel the heat emanating from his body; perhaps the sense that he was still awake, lost deep in thoughts of his own.

But most of all it was the damn room.

It was _massive_. Rey was used to sleeping in the cramped Resistance quarters, and before that, the foot of an abandoned AT-AT walker. Practical, simple, and snug. But this room felt like a cavern, the moonlight from out the window reflecting eerily on all the glittering surfaces. The bed was too soft; the smells a bit too overwhelming. It picked at the anxious part of her brain in a way that made sleep impossible.

“Hey,” Rey whispered, turning towards Poe. “You awake?”

Poe turned on the light on the nightstand and smiled. “You bet. It’s this…this…”

“This room.”

“Exactly. It’s creepy. It doesn’t feel human.”

“A little First Order in the design, now that you mention it,” Rey said, and there was a long silence between them.

“Do you still get nightmares sometimes?” Poe asked. “Because for me, they’ve never stopped.”

“Yes,” Rey said, staring up at the ceiling. “I think that’s one of the reasons I train so hard. If I’m really tired at the end of the day sometimes they don’t come.” She felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “It’s like I can’t get a break. I spend all day fighting the war and when I fall asleep the war comes again.”

“Come here,” Poe whispered, and Rey snuggled into his arms without hesitation. He was warm and solid and she could feel his stubble brushing up against her shoulder. “You’re not alone, Rey. You may be the last Jedi, but you’re not the last person with hope. We all have your back. Always.”

Rey smiled. “Thank you, Poe.”

“Of course.”

They laid there for awhile, at peace as they held each other, until Rey realized that she couldn’t bear to have him let go.

“Um, Poe?” Rey asked. “Do you think you could keep holding me until I fall asleep? I think it might help.”

“Of course, sunshine,” he whispered, spooning her. “Of course I will.”

As Poe nuzzled deeper into her neck, Rey suddenly got the courage to run her fingers across his forearms, tracing the hairs there all the way down to the calloused pads of his fingertips. She had always had such an aesthetic fascination with Poe, ever since the beginning, and had always felt an urge to map out every inch of him with her fingers. She ran her hand up his bare arm again, caressing his bicep in a way that could only be interpreted as amorous, and Poe leaned in to whisper darkly in her ear.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Rey? Anything at all?”

Rey turned towards him, and something in the air shifted. “I want you,” she gasped, any sense of shame or restraint gone completely. “Kiss me. Poe, please.”

“I’ve only been waiting since the day I met you, sunshine,” Poe whispered back, smiling. He pulled her to him and sealed his lips over hers, running one hand through her hair and practically tugging at it as his other hand gripped her waist under the soft silk of the lingerie. Rey kissed him back with a fervor she didn’t know she was capable of, finally getting the opportunity to run her hands over his chest and through his tumble of curls, sighing in pleasure as Poe broke away to suck on her neck, leaving her completely at his mercy as he kissed his way down her body.

“What do you think?” Poe said, running a finger up her thigh. “Are you sure about this? And you have the implant they give everyone, right?”

“Yes and yes,” Rey said eagerly. “Besides, I think its only fair that Mr. and Mrs. Isolder consummate their marriage, don’t you think?”

“Oh _Mrs. Isolder_,” he teased. “You never fail to amaze me.”

Rey shuddered in anticipation as Poe kissed his way up the inside of her thigh, sighing at the feeling of rough stubble rubbing against the soft skin there. She threw her head back as she felt the undeniable sensation of his tongue and lips caressing her clit, and in a matter of minutes she was coming apart with moans and sighs of his name, her hands gripping at his dark curls as she rode out the last waves of her pleasure.

Poe moved up to kiss her again, this time pulling the straps of the lingerie off her shoulders and pulling the garment down her body. “Five years of marriage, my _dearest, lovely_ Cora,” Poe teased, burying his face in her neck again. “And I can still get those noises out of you.”

“And _you_, husband, are still as smug as ever,” Rey giggled, sighing as Poe ran rough hands across her breasts and back to the inside of her thighs. He sucked on her neck, and Rey could feel his growing arousal firm against her.

“What do you want, my love?” Poe practically groaned against her ear, and Rey smiled, caressing his face with her fingertips.

“I think you should make love to your wife.”

Mr. Isolder was happy to oblige.

***

Rey awoke the next morning happy and sore and in a haze. She had almost forgotten where she was and what exactly had happened until she rolled over to see Poe lying next to her, his arm draped around her torso. He was smiling blissfully in his sleep.

They had _sex_ last night.

It wasn’t casual sex, at least she didn’t think so. They had been dancing around this for ages, after all. And it had been passionate, the culmination of nearly a year of lingering glances, small touches that had set their skin aflame. And all those affections he had whispered into her ear while he made love to her…

…were all directed towards Mrs. Cora Isolder. That mysterious lady whose shoes she had stepped into last night, the society woman who wore ballgowns and mingled with politicians and indulged in Canto Bight luxuries like they were second nature to her…

…the woman who had captured the heart of Poe Dameron.

But she was Rey. Just Rey. And maybe that wasn’t enough.

Just then there was a loud knock at the door, waking Poe up and making Rey jump. The door opened and an attendant came in with a rolling tray of breakfast food. There was caf, cocktails, fruit, eggs, and a variety of cuts of meat. “Good morning, Mr. And Mrs. Isolder,” the attendant said, and Rey shyly covered herself up with the bedsheet, blushing. “I trust you slept well.” The man gave Poe a knowing look, insinuating that he very well knew that sleep was the last thing they had been up to last night.

“Thank you,” Poe said, and waited for the man to leave before turning to Rey with a bright smile on his face.

“Good morning,” he said, grinning happily and pulling Rey into his arms. “Did you sleep well, Mrs. Isolder?” he asked, kissing up her neck.

“Why do you like calling me that so much?” Rey asked. “Do you like pretending that I’m not…that I’m not…me?”

“No, sunshine, no,” Poe said, his face flooded with concern. “That’s absolutely not the reason. It’s not the reason at all.”

“Okay,” Rey said. “Why then?”

Poe bit his lip and looked down at his hands. “Well…I guess I didn’t know how serious you were about us. Whether you just wanted this to be a fling or not. I didn’t know if I’d ever have a chance again after this mission to…you know…_adore_ you like that. In a…romantic sort of way.”

“Like I was your wife?”

Poe blushed a deep red. “I’m sorry, that was probably too much, I should—”

“It’s not too much,” Rey said, cradling his face in her hands. “I want to adore you too. For as long as you’ll let me.”

“As long as you want, sunshine,” Poe said, holding her in his arms again and kissing her on the cheek. “And we still have one last morning to enjoy as husband and wife—and a breakfast thats getting cold.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Rey said, reaching over for the plate of fruit. “It’ll be hard to go back to rations after this.”

“But,” Poe said. “You never have to go back to being alone. No more nightmares, no more doubts. And no more pretending. Because I can’t take another day where I don’t get to tell you how much I adore you, Rey.” He laced his fingers through hers and smiled. “Because I really, _really_ do.”

Rey rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. “It’s a pity we’ll be unmarried in a few hours. It was rather nice.”

Poe touched the ring hanging on a chain around his neck. She was right, of course. But it wouldn’t be forever.


End file.
